Got my plane from SoaringUSA today. Looks good. The wing seems pretty strong. Anyway, anyone know what nose to use? Is it a CG consideration thing? What is the short nose used for/with? (For 7 sub-Cs?) What is the longer nose used for? (for 9 GP2200s?)

I plan to use a B40 8S direct (7 sub-Cs) for now, and later go with another motor on 9x2200.

Spinner for short nose is 40mm. Spinner for long nose is 30 mm.

thanks,
tufnik

My guess would be:
long nose w/30mm spinner: small motor (e.g. Neu1110)
short nose w/40mm spinner: large motor (e.g. Neu1506)

-David

I've been staring at my Excite for a while now and I'm still not quite sure of how to stuff everything into it! CG is of course a concern, but physically fitting things in will dictate where the Cg will end up at and then I'll modify things from there as needed.
Also trying to decide how and where to cut in some cooling air inlets and exit too.
Anyone care to share how they're setting up their Excite?

The long nose is for use as an F5B 7 cell glider with geared motor

Originally Posted by WimH

The long nose is for use as an F5B 7 cell glider with geared motor

That's interesting. We keep looking over the Avionik D05 and comparing it to the Avionik 7-cell F5B... The D05 would make a really nice glider if it weren't for the short nose.

Originally Posted by davidfee

That's interesting. We keep looking over the Avionik D05 and comparing it to the Avionik 7-cell F5B... The D05 would make a really nice glider if it weren't for the short nose.

The big advantage of the new airframes is that they are much more universal in use.

@tufnik: The pictures on the strat homepage just show the Excite with the wing put on - the screws are in the middle-line so I don't expect an opening there. This would be similar to putting in all the components into a Tokoloschi but having no servos in your way as they are inside the wing right?

You can see some pictures on my homepage - just mount the elevatorservo, receiver and rx-battery on a piece of plywood that you can remoce later and the rest comes in front of it into the fuselage - the usual thing actually.



This one for example.

Eike

Originally Posted by tufnik

Got my plane from SoaringUSA today. Looks good. The wing seems pretty strong. Anyway, anyone know what nose to use? Is it a CG consideration thing? What is the short nose used for/with? (For 7 sub-Cs?) What is the longer nose used for? (for 9 GP2200s?)

I plan to use a B40 8S direct (7 sub-Cs) for now, and later go with another motor on 9x2200.

Spinner for short nose is 40mm. Spinner for long nose is 30 mm.

thanks,
tufnik

tufnik,

I ordered an Excite F5D as well. Will try an Aveox 27/26/1.5Y, TP2100, and a 5x5 prop for ~ 35 amps. I would also like to fly it hotliner style (it looks like a mini RW2) with the same motor, but on 10 GP2000, a 3.3 (or 4.3) gb and a RFM 12.8x13 folder.

Bring yours out to the VA F5B.

I'm glad to see some reports on this plane, it looks really interesting. Please keep us informed on equipment installation, setup, etc.

What do your bare airframes weigh?

thanks, Paul

Ok, guys
Keep those hints and advice coming in (thanks plinse, for pic). I'm a sport flyer. My "small" fast planes are the Sokol and the Vortex ( on 10 cells) and I decided I wanted something "among the fastest." So, Excite is my first F5Der. Have never flown competitive pylon, but maybe one day it'll come to Virginia. After all, F5B contests came last year. Buy it, fly in, and they will come (ha, ha)

Eike,
What elevator servo are you using? D-60?
Looks like a control rod running from servo to the tail. Does it curve up to the stab?
Is that a 5-cell flight pack?
Where is CG location?
thanks,
tufnik

Originally Posted by tufnik

Eike,
What elevator servo are you using? D-60?

C2081
As I have some D60 lying around, I will be using a D60 on my new Batleth that I just pulled from the molds. But according to the setup the Tokoloschi is better to compare with the Excite as the handling takes place from in front by removing to motor-cone. Even though the Batleth is a F5D according to the 2005 rules the setup has little to do with setting up an Excite.

I discribed the whole setup of the Tokoloschi here, text is in German but there are many pictures.
http://www.speed-mania.de/toko_ausbau.html
Looking at the English part of my homepage I just saw that I have not changed the links there so just some of the pictures are displaied. It is also not discribed as precisely as English is still a language issue to me - especially in technical things.

Looks like a control rod running from servo to the tail. Does it curve up to the stab?

Yes. Make sure the pipe it runs in is bonded to the fuselage well and the radius going up into the T-Tail should be wide - otherwise it does not run smooth and the controlsurface centers diffrent depending on using up or down elevator before.

Is that a 5-cell flight pack?
Where is CG location?
thanks,
tufnik

Yes it is a 5cell RX-pack - more powerful and precise servos then digital servos on 4 cells and these tiny 120mAh cells have some voltage drop so it is not as bad to the servos as running a usual 5cell pack that keeps up the voltage under load. I am doing that for years on my high performance airframes that use small RX-packs and never had a problem.

I don't know where the CG of the Excite is - I just discribe my experiences setting up an F5D-airframe where the batterie is changed by removing a motor-cone. As the pictures on the strat homepage (www.strat.at) just show the airframe with the wing and the T-Tail put together I also asked whether there are service-openings below the wing. Or is the fuselage a closed pipe? This might make the diffrence between having to put the elevator servo onto a removable device or just bonding it to the fuselage. Can you access the place where you will have to mount it easily?

The diffrences between Tokoloschi and Excite that make diffrences between my way to set up a Tokoloschi and the propably easiest way to set up an Excite are:

The fuselage and wing of the Tokoloschi are glued together - the linkages are kind of finally assembled - no easy access later. Actually no solution that could be used on a commercial airframe.

As the aileron servos of the Excite are inside the wing, there are no linkages and servos in the fuselage below the wing being in your way when changing the batterie, ... .

Is there access to the elevator servo and the linkage when just gluing it into the fuselage? Or would an opening weaken the fuselage when cutting one in as it is not recommended?

If you need to use a removable device: As I build my airframes myself I don't use plywood for mounting the things on - I prefer a part from an old fuselage or just build a small fiberglas part out of the fuselage mold - Plywood is about as good but just a little more work to make it fit well but that for you don't need the mold.

At the moment I am just enjoying the perfect fit of the Batleth parts and the standard fuselage. The motor cone has the advantage to be able to adapt the fuselage to a slope glider or hotliner application. But the setup is more work and access to the components being installed is more difficult as well. On my 3 years old Tokoloschi I had to do some service some time and it really was a pain. As the aileron servos of the Excite are placed in the wing this is much better - easy access and simple linkages - on the other hand it is kind of vanity that I don't like linkages, visible on the outside on pylon racers. But we will see what the tests on my first batleths show - there is still the opportunity to make the 2 flap wing a 4 flap one and then there will be linkages visible as well .

Eike

Originally Posted by plinse

As I have some D60 lying around, I will be using a D60 on my new Batleth that I just pulled from the molds.... At the moment I am just enjoying the perfect fit of the Batleth parts and the standard fuselage. ... But we will see what the tests on my first batleths show - there is still the opportunity to make the 2 flap wing a 4 flap one and then there will be linkages visible as well .
Eike

I know this is an Excite thread, but Id be interested to see your pictures & setup on a separate Batleth thread. When your are talking the D60 servo's, will you be able to fit them in the wing thickness outboard in the wing to drive ailerons?

Originally Posted by ptxman

I know this is an Excite thread, but Id be interested to see your pictures & setup on a separate Batleth thread. When your are talking the D60 servo's, will you be able to fit them in the wing thickness outboard in the wing to drive ailerons?

It would only be interesting to install the servos in the wing thickness for the ailerons, not for the flaps. They are mounted in the fuselage transition anyway using the normal torque rods. As the aspect ratio is quite high there is no chance to get any servo inside the airfoil on the outside - at least nothing I would call a servo according to F5D.

I went for a 2 aileron wing at first - the webs for a full span aileron are molded in and according to the experiences I make with flutter I can cut them further as well as there is the remaining opportunity to install servos on the outside with covers - I could not mold them in anyway.

The pictures so far are on my homepage:

http://www.speed-mania.de/ -> Whats new -> Batleth

I will go into some more details later but I don't think I am going to start a thread about it. Are you involved into getting the plugs to Canada?

Eike

Originally Posted by plinse

..there is no chance to get any servo inside the airfoil on the outside - at least nothing I would call a servo according to F5D.

Thanks, thats what I was wondering.

Originally Posted by plinse

..The pictures so far are on my homepage

Looks good!

Originally Posted by plinse

..
Are you involved into getting the plugs to Canada?

No, Ive just been pursuing finished airframes so far. But the plugs look to be of excellent quality - very tempting!

Originally Posted by ptxman

...
No, Ive just been pursuing finished airframes so far. But the plugs look to be of excellent quality - very tempting!

The guys who made the plugs told me that they would be send to Canada next - they have 2 sets of plugs so there is the chance that they could stay on your side of the great lake for some time . Might be interesting to contact them before the plugs are returned to Europe if building your own airframes is an option to you.

The airfoils on the airframes have not changed dramatically so they are still thin - evolution but not revolution - and the wing root chord of the Batleth is similar to the wing root chord of the Tokoloschi. The main thing that was really changed to increase the wing surface is the aspect ratio that was increased quite a bit. Comparison between Tokoloschi and Batleth is quite impressive though. Especially as the aspect ratio of the Tokoloschi was about 10 already! I am looking forward to the maiden flight .

Eike